How do I find headnotes on Westlaw?

Click a topic to display its topic page, and drill down through the list to locate your specific topic. On a Topic page, you can select a Key Number and then retrieve case headnotes classified under that Key Number. Simply click a Key Number that represents your issue.

How do you write a headnote?

The elements of a headnote should be:

  1. brevity.
  2. clear writing.
  3. identification of issues.
  4. identification of useful points.
  5. listing of authorities (statutes, cases, and authors)
  6. identification of counsel.

What are headnotes in Lexis?

What Are Headnotes? Headnotes are summaries of a point of law that appear at the beginning of a case. Headnotes are written by editors at Westlaw and Lexis (sometimes the language is verbatim from the text of the opinion).

How do you use headnotes when you research?

Headnotes are excellent research tools to assist you in finding other cases that address similar legal issues, but do not cite headnotes in your work product. When citing a case, you should only cite to the actual text of the opinion written by the judge or justice.

What are headnotes and how do I use them?

Headnotes are written by editors at Westlaw and Lexis (sometimes the language is verbatim from the text of the opinion). Headnotes are excellent research tools to assist you in finding other cases that address similar legal issues, but do not cite headnotes in your work product.

What are the drawbacks of using headnotes in tables and figures?

As for headnotes, there are really no drawbacks to using them in tables and figures. They offer the reader helpful information that is readily available as they read the data or interpret a figure.

How do I add headnotes to a LexisNexis opinion?

As you read through an opinion on Lexis, you will see links to headnotes embedded throughout the opinion. These headnote links have been inserted by the Lexis editors. Clicking any of those headnote links will take you up to the LexisNexis Headnotes section of the document.

What are headnotes in a West reporter?

Headnotes are summaries of the issues in a case. They are not actually part of the opinion. Each headnote is numbered. Headnotes in a West reporter address a specific point of law in the case, including the relevant facts regarding that point of law. Headnotes in West reporters are written by the editors.